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Milwaukee police: August was deadliest month since Jeffrey Dahmer case

Posted at 3:54 PM, Sep 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-01 19:32:33-04

MILWAUKEE -- August 2016 was the deadliest month in Milwaukee since the July 1991 discovery of remains inside Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment, police said Thursday.

While not all of Jeffrey Dahmer's murders happened that July, the remains that were discovered at that time were recorded officially that month.

To make matters worse, Milwaukee had a higher homicide rate per capita than Chicago in August, statistics show.

Milwaukee recorded 24 homicides in August, compared to 90 in Chicago. When you adjust for population, Milwaukee has a higher rate per 100,000 people (4.0) than Chicago (3.3) during that time. You can see where police got those numbers and read their full statement here.

"While the national headlines are about Chicago's deadliest month in nearly two decades, Milwaukee's per-capita homicide rate was significantly higher," Chief Ed Flynn said in a news release. "This, as our deployments continue to be reduced by the need to staff two man squads and the hundreds of officers called upon to restore and maintain order in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood."

"Despite these challenges, our officers have taken over 1,600 guns off the streets in 2016; 211 in August alone," Flynn continued.

Chief Flynn will address violent crime with the media today at 4:30 p.m. We'll bring it to you live on air and online.